Cancer is part of my life every day. And not simply because
I work at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. For most people reading this,
cancer is all too close.

This year, more than 1.7 million people in the US and more
than 18 million people worldwide were diagnosed with cancer. They heard the
words “you have cancer” and their life was forever changed. I know some of these
people—you do too. They aren’t statistics—they are members of our families,
neighborhoods, churches, temples, book clubs, wine clubs, offices, running
groups, PTAs, sports teams, and classrooms.

Right now, the accelerating pace of research is a source of
incredible opportunity and tangible hope. Clinical trials, drug development,
genetic testing, and precision medicine are coming together in ways that even
our own faculty couldn’t have predicted a decade ago.

Fred Hutch is a global leader in immunotherapy—from the
initial discovery of how bone marrow transplantation could cure cancer to
today’s leading-edge work with T-cell therapies. We are relentlessly pursuing
answers to the questions of how our own body’s immune system can be empowered
to fight cancer. This is a mammoth task. Every cancer—and every person—is
different. We don’t need one cure—we need a cure for every person fighting
cancer.

So, we are aiming high to raise funds to support this work!
Last year, thousands of people donated to Fred Hutch and cheered on Luke
Timmerman as he set out to raise awareness about cancer research and raise a
flag in honor of cancer patients atop Mt Everest.

Now, Luke is setting the bar higher—he and a group of
extraordinary bio tech leaders are going to climb Mt Kilimanjaro to benefit
cancer patients and advance groundbreaking research. While not as high as
Everest, Kilimanjaro is the highest peak in Africa. The audacious part of the
goal is that twenty of us will aim for its peak of 19,340 while simultaneously
aiming to raise $1 million.

I could not be more honored to join this expedition! To
spend a week climbing with people who believe personally and work
professionally to help reduce the burden of cancer in our world is inspiring.
Every one of them is activating their network to raise money for Climb to Fight
Cancer.

Fred Hutch researchers are extraordinary. They know the
thrill of discovery, the satisfaction of unlocking mysteries, the joy of
patients benefitting. Most of us will never work in a lab. But, we can do our
part to fuel their work.

Climb a mountain. Save a life. This has been the guiding
vision of our mountaineering fundraising program for more than twenty years.
Make a gift today and help us cure cancer faster.